Southerner On the loose

southernerinnj

New Member
Hello everyone,

Thought I would just post and kind of intro myself. I'm originally from Birmingham, AL. I'm on a temporary assignment in Lambertville, NJ. Living in Princeton. I must say its alot nicer up here than I was lead to expect. I most likely will be more of a spectator living vicariously through all you other mountain bikers. While I avidly love mountain biking I have a 2 yr old that does as well and will not allow me to go out without her. So until I get her up to speed I'm stuck to the lighter fare. So if you a neon green DB running around Mercer county with a trailer hitched to the back throw a wave my way. :)
 

THATmanMANNY

Well-Known Member
enjoy NJ!

Welcome! Really try to enjoy some NJ mtb'ing! You're also in a good spot for road riding. What's AL riding like?
 

southernerinnj

New Member
Thanks for the response. AL biking is really fun if you ask me. There is nowhere near the support system that you all seem to have up here. Atleast not in my experience, but the State Park system really takes care of mountain bikers and handle alot of the trail maintenance. Some great climbs as well as downhill tracks in northern Alabama as you get closer to the appalachain foothills. I plan to try and get out while I am here. Have to do some serious training though. It has been a couple years since I've done any hardcore single track. Hope to see some of you out on the trails :)
 

elzoller

El Guac-Oh
a bunch of us here are in the same boat, we have to juggle kids & a wife for some saddle time....it is all about time management ;)

welcome!
 

The Kalmyk

Well-Known Member
Welcome...I suggest checking 6Mile Run if your in Princeton...How did you get a 2 year old to love mtbing...Just curious cause I have one as well
 

southernerinnj

New Member
Welcome...I suggest checking 6Mile Run if your in Princeton...How did you get a 2 year old to love mtbing...Just curious cause I have one as well

Honestly,
I am very lucky. My little girl being southern born and spent her 1st two years living in the country. She is very much a tom boy and anything that involves getting dirty with daddy makes her happy. I take her our and anything outdoorsy I can think of we do. Her 1st hike in the outdoors involved a 6 hr. hike at 3 months old with her in a backpack in the mountains of Asheville, NC. I guess it was just a natural progression never really pushed it with her.
 

J-7

Active Member
The great thing up here that you're close to some trail just about where ever you live. I mostly get out for thirty minutes here and there but the drives aren't too long so it's worth it. Enjoy it while you're up here.

War Eagle
 

NJ-XC-Justin

KY-DH-Freddy
How did you get a 2 year old to love mtbing...Just curious cause I have one as well

My boy has loved mountain biking since he was around 24 months. Requests Roam (for the jumps and crashes), Offroad to Athens (for the racing / pretty colors) and Seasons (for the little boy biking and pool and lakes splashes). Seasons is the big one though. He turned 3 a couple weeks ago and has watched probably 6 or 7 MTB films, and his new "big boy bike" (see my "My New SS" thread) will be christening the nearby bridal paths as soon as the weather gets better (and he reminds me of this every week). That's how it worked for me.
 

tommyjay

Not-So-Venerable Asshat
Welcome to NJ!

Princeton is a nice area - if you're looking for places to bring your daughter, check out the Delaware & Raritan Canal Tow Path - it runs right through Princeton. It is mostly flat, packed dirt surface that runs along the Canal - not singletrack by any stretch, but the scenery is nice and most parts are very bike & trailer friendly.

Mercer Park is also close and nice. It has a lot of paved and hard packed paths to explore, and is a nice place to take the family for a day outside.

I have a 16-month old girl that seems to have the outdoor bug also - I'm planning to start trailering her around with me this spring.

If you do get a chance to ride solo - check out 6 mile run for singletrack. Its pretty easy from a technical point of view, but it offers ~ 15 miles of fast, flowy singletrack with lots of variety, including
- short steep climbs
- tight, twisty sections
- rooty, off camber sections
- fast, buff sections that run along the woodline at the edge of farms
- log piles, multiple bridges, some skinnies, and an A-frame or two over big deadfall

Its only about 20 minutes north of princeton. I live in hillsborough (which is also about 20 minutes north of princeton), so if you're interested in getting together for a ride, let me know.

One caveat - 6 mile is in a flood plain, so its a muddy mess this time of year (it'll be ok on frozen mornings, but when we get a thaw it'll be muddy until about mid-April) - so check out the conditions here before heading out....the clay surface is like peanut butter when muddy - its no fun to ride in, and it leaves the trails beaten all to heck.
 

southernerinnj

New Member
Want to take a second and thank everyone for the warm greetings. Its nice to feel so welcome here. Thank you for all the input on places to ride. When it get warmer and I get back in shape I'll take you up on that ride out at 6 mile. Again thanks to all of you!
 

BiknBen

Well-Known Member
Princeton has many little parks that are great for a hike with the kids.

Take a look at the map on page 29 of this document:
http://www.princetonboro.org/pdf/BoroRecMasterPlan.pdf

Look for:
Autumn Hill Reserve
Hilltop Park (has a little skate park)
Community Park North
Herrontown Woods
Delaware Raritan Canal (this is especially good with the kids in a trailer)
 

southernerinnj

New Member
Monte Sano kicks some A! Nice little park outside of Huntsville that's pretty sweet!

Welcome aboard!

Yes my 2 favorites in AL were mount cheehah state park and Oak Mountain State Park were my home turf. Cheehah is the highest point in AL some nice tough steep sections. A great workout was just biking up the road from the foot to the summit.

J7 we can be friends we are north of the Mason Dixon and all :D Just don't mind me come college football season.
 
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